Saturday, January 14, 2012

How do you over winter fern plants in zone 5?

My patio plants die when I bring them inside

How do you over winter fern plants in zone 5?There are hundreds of varieties of ferns, first before anything is considered you need to know what variety they are.Reply:i should have mentioned, the variety will determine if they're hardy outdoor varieties or the houseplant types, if they're outdoor species that's why they won't winter over indoors, they need to be outside through the cold winter. Report ItReply:that is because they don't like the lack of humidity and light......you may need to take the sunniest room in the house and add lots of moisture to the room if you don't have a greenhouse. Good luck....Reply:Keep your ferns in a low-light location. Not a completely dark room....but somewhere they can recieve some sunlight as long as it's not direct. Ferns enjoy high humidity and misting them can help.

It's normal for houseplants to go through a shock when you bring them inside for the winter. I have a ficus that looses most of it's leaves in the winter and my spiderplants seem to loose their vigor also. Unless you have greenhouse conditions with lots of warmth and humidity, houseplants are going to suffer a bit and it's perfectly normal. The average house in the winter is a lot less humid than most plants would like. Baby the fern and give it a few steam sessions in the bathroom during the winter...that might help.Reply:Ferns, as in the Boston fern, among some others as easily overwintered by placing in an interior area that will not allow the roots to freeze. Just let them sit and water when soil is dry. When danger of frost has passed, you can bring them back out, cut off all dead fronds being careful not to cut off any new growth down at the bottom. These will be curled up little new shoots. For a delicate type of fern such as birds nest, button or rabbit's foot, they can be overwintered indoors. Just remember not to feed or over water during this dormant phase. Good luck!